On September 19, students from GenkiJACS Kyoto and Daiichi Gakuin Kyoto came together for a very special event.
The gathering gave students from both schools an opportunity to speak directly with our company’s leadership and share their ideas for the future. Rather than simply deciding what this unique collaboration should look like, we wanted to hear directly from the people at the heart of it: our students.
Listening to Our Students
During the event, students spoke about their hopes and wishes for their time at school. They discussed what they would like to achieve during their studies and how GenkiJACS Kyoto and Daiichi Gakuin Kyoto could help them reach those goals.
One message came through particularly clearly: students want more opportunities to spend time together, get to know one another, and make the most of having two different schools sharing the same space.
For GenkiJACS students, this offers a chance to use Japanese outside the classroom, develop friendships with local students, and experience everyday life and culture in Japan more deeply. For Daiichi Gakuin students, it creates opportunities to meet people from around the world, encounter different cultures and perspectives, and use English and other languages in a natural setting.
Most importantly, it gives everyone the chance to create meaningful memories together.
Plenty of Ideas and Plenty of Fun!
The students shared many ideas for future activities and events. These included karaoke nights, movie outings, game nights, picnics in the park, cultural festivals, and seasonal celebrations such as Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day and of course combined classes.
There was one particularly memorable suggestion: a school-wide game of hide-and-seek: かくれんぼ!
The wide variety of ideas reflected the enthusiasm and creativity of the students. Some activities would provide opportunities for cultural and language exchange, while others would simply allow everyone to relax, have fun, and enjoy spending time together. Both are equally important in creating a lively and welcoming school community.
A Unique Partnership in Japan
The partnership between GenkiJACS Kyoto and Daiichi Gakuin Kyoto is the only collaboration of its kind in Japan. Bringing together an international Japanese language school and a Japanese high school in this way creates possibilities that would not exist in a traditional school environment.
However, this partnership is about much more than sharing a building. It is about creating a community where students from Japan and around the world can meet, communicate, learn from one another, and grow together.
The September 19 event was an important step in shaping that community. By listening to the students and giving them a voice in its development, we can create experiences that are genuinely meaningful to them.
Our students have shared their hopes and ideas; now it is our responsibility to help bring them to life.
We are happy to report that our teachers are already hard at work in creating a curriculum that is more integrated with our friends!
The staff, teachers, and students of both GenkiJACS Kyoto and Daiichi Gakuin Kyoto are incredibly excited about what this partnership means for our future. We look forward to many more opportunities to learn together, celebrate together, and perhaps even play a little かくれんぼ together!
